Opponents of a law that effectively bans Internet sweepstakes cafes say they'll launch an effort to get voters repeal it. Gov. John Kasich signed the legislation Tuesday. PD file

The same day Gov. John Kasich signed legislation that would effectively eliminate Internet cafes, opponents of the bill vowed to get voters to repeal it.

The bill signed Tuesday by Kasich would take effect in 90 days. But if a referendum effort succeeds in getting the issue on a statewide ballot, the law might not take effect for more than a year, if ever.

That effort will begin very quickly, said Mark Weaver, an attorney and consultant who will help organize the ballot issue. The effort will involve the internet cafe industry, but also others who want to see the businesses regulated, rather than banned.

To be successful, those opposing the law will have to collect a lot of signatures from registered voters -- an amount equal to 6 percent of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election, said Matt McClellan, a spokesman for Secretary of State Jon Husted. That amounts to more than 231,000 names.

And those signatures cannot come from just the large urban centers. Rather, they must come from voters in at least 44 counties across the state.

And it all must be completed before the 90-day clock expires and the law takes effect.

If the effort is successful, the law would not take effect until voters get their say. And since the deadline to get this issue on the November ballot falls in early July, voters likely would not see the referendum until November 2014.

Lawmakers in both houses of the General Assembly approved the bill with strong bipartisan votes. Attorney General Mike DeWine, an advocate of the bill, said the legislation was needed to crack down on what he described as illegal mini-casino operations operating without regulation.

DeWine has argued that the cafes are fronts for illegal gambling and other serious crime, such as human trafficking and money laundering.

“The new law will provide Ohio law enforcement much needed clarity between legitimate sweepstakes and the illegal gambling which has been taking place at Internet cafes across Ohio,” DeWine said in a statement Tuesday.

His office, working with local law enforcement, had pledged to crack down on the industry. A spokesman for the attorney general said that effort could continue if the new law was delayed.

Opponents of the law argue that the so-called sweepstakes cafes are operating legally, and that they serve a role in their communities, paying taxes to local governments and providing employment.

Some legislators favored regulating the industry, rather than banning it. A bill that would do just that remains in the House. The day the Senate approved the new law, Sen. Bill Seitz, a Republican from Cincinnati, delivered a eulogy to the industry on the Senate floor.

“Today it is my privilege to give the eulogy for the 6,000 to 8,000 people that will be put out of work by the adoption of this measure,” said Seitz, who cast a “no” vote.

“The biggest flaw in this bill is that it takes the approach: Shoot 'em all and let God sort it out,” Seitz said.

The Ohio Free Enterprise Alliance, a political action group for local governments, including several from Northeast Ohio, on Tuesday called for a referendum effort to begin.

“It’s important to note that every concern raised during the legislative process could have been resolved through reasonable regulation instead of a ban,” the alliance’s chairman, Jon Grimm, said in a statement. “The only public polling done on this matter shows just 20 percent of Ohioans support prohibiting Internet sweepstakes cafes.”

Communities will lose revenue from sales taxes and local fees and jobs, Grimm said. “We call on Ohioans who share our view to begin collecting signatures to place this on the November 2014 ballot.”

Michael Nelson, a Cleveland attorney who represents some cafe owners, said they are ready to take up the fight. He already has met with several owners who see referendum as their best option, and has more meetings planned.

If vendors and manufacturers in the industry can help with financial resources, the cafes can provide foot soldiers to circulate petitions, Nelson said.

“Their industry has been attacked. Their livelihood has been affected,” he said.

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